Measles / Demam campak

Measles @ demam campak is different from chicken pox.The difference between them,i stated at the end of this notes , just as a references for me in the future

•measles is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses.

 

• Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a generalized, maculopapular, erythematous rash.

 

• Measles is spread through respiration (contact with fluids from an infected person's nose and mouth, either directly or through aerosol transmission), and is highly contagious—90% of people without immunity sharing a house with an infected person will catch it.

 

• The infection has an average incubation period of 14 days (range 6–19 days) and infectivity lasts from 2–4 days prior, until 2–5 days following the onset of the rash (i.e. 4–9 days infectivity in total).[1]
• The classical symptoms of measles include four day fevers, the three Cs—cough, coryza (runny nose) and conjunctivitis (red eyes).

 

• The fever may reach up to 40 °C (104 °F).

 

• Koplik's spots seen inside the mouth are pathognomonic (diagnostic) for measles but are not often seen, even in real cases of measles, because they are transient and may disappear within a day of arising.

 

• The characteristic measles rash is classically described as a generalized, maculopapular, erythematous rash that begins several days after the fever starts. It starts on the head before spreading to cover most of the body, often causing itching. The rash is said to "stain", changing colour from red to dark brown, before disappearing.[citation needed]

 

Complications

 

• Complications with measles are relatively common, ranging from relatively mild and less serious diarrhea, to pneumonia and encephalitis (subacute sclerosing panencephalitis), corneal ulceration leading to corneal scarring.[5]

 

• Complications are usually more severe amongst adults who catch the virus.

 

• The fatality rate from measles for otherwise healthy people in developed countries is 3 deaths per thousand cases, or .3%.[6] In underdeveloped nations with high rates of malnutrition and poor healthcare, fatality rates have been as high as 28%.[6] In immunocompromised patients (e.g. people with AIDS) the fatality rate is approximately 30 percent.[7]

 

Diagnosis

 

• Clinical diagnosis of measles requires a history of fever of at least three days together with at least one of the three C's (cough, coryza, conjunctivitis). Observation of Koplik's spots is also diagnostic of measles.

 

• Alternatively, laboratory diagnosis of measles can be done with confirmation of positive measles IgM antibodies or isolation of measles virus RNA from respiratory specimens. In children, where phlebotomy is inappropriate, saliva can be collected for salivary measles specific IgA test. Positive contact with other patients known to have measles adds strong epidemiological evidence to the diagnosis. The contact with any infected person in any way, including semen through sex, saliva, or mucus can cause infection.

 

treatment

 

• There is no cure for measles. Most patients with uncomplicated measles will recover with rest and supportive treatment.

 

• Some patients will develop pneumonia as a sequel to the measles.

 

• Other complications include ear infections, bronchitis, and encephalitis.

 

• Acute measles encephalitis has a mortality rate of 15%, while there is no specific treatment for measles encephalitis, antibiotics are required for bacterial pneumonia, sinusitis, and bronchitis that can follow measles. All other treatment is symptomatic, with ibuprofen, or acetaminophen to reduce fever and pain, a fast acting bronchodialater for cough.

this is the measles spot that distinguish from the chicken pox, generalised maculopapular erythematous rash

differences measles / Chicken pox


virus:      M: paramyxovirus
              C: varicella zoster virus ZV

symptoms : M:  fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a generalized, maculopapular, erythematous rash.

                  C:  in adolescents and adults: anorexia, myalgia, nausea, fever, headache, and malaise

                       in children: papular rash, followed by devolopment of malaise, fever [a temperature of
                      100-102F, but may be as high as 106F in rare cases], and anorexia.

Spreading method : M: through respiration (contact with fluids from an infected person's nose and mouth,
                                   either directly or through aerosol transmission), and is highly contagious
                              C: coughs or sneezes of ill individuals, or through direct contact with secretions from the
                                   rash.

Incubation period : M: average incubation period of 14 days (range 6–19 days)
                             C:  10 to 21 days after contact with an infected person for someone to develop
                                  chickenpox.

Infectivity period:  M: infectivity lasts from 2–4 days prior, until 2–5 days following the onset of the rash
                                 (i.e. 4–9 days infectivity in total).[1]
                            C: infectious from 1 to 5 days before the rash appears.[4]
                                The contagious period continues until all blisters have formed scabs, which may take 5
                                 to 10 days.